1. Field of the Invention
Throughout the specification and claims the words "chip part(s)" is for "electronic component(s) in a chip form".
This invention is of an apparatus for supplying chip parts being housed in a hopper at random directions after organizing them in an orderly line and of a chip part feeding means which works to transfer the forefront one of the aligned chip parts to a circuit component such as a printed circuit board.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A prior art apparatus comprises a hopper box which houses electronic parts in a chip form (hereafter called "chip parts") being accumulated at random directions, a chip part intake tube connecting into the bottom of said hopper box said chip part intake tube being capable of moving up and down, a mechanism to move said chip part intake tube up and down, a chip part carrier tube extending downward with on end opening into said chip part intake tube, a conveying belt reaching the end opening of said chip part carrier tube which works to convey chip parts being discharged from said chip part carrier tube, a mechanism to move said belt intermittently at a prescribed pitch, a cover which work to organize said chip parts being conveyed on said belt into an orderly line, a stopper which works to stop said chip parts being conveyed on said belt at a prescribed point before opening itself and a mechanism to let the stopper release a chip part after said chip part has come to a stop.
With the aforesaid apparatus, chip parts accumulated in said hopper box are taken into said chip part intake tube by moving said chip part intake tube up and down, said chip parts having been taken into said chip part intake tube being discharged onto said conveying belt through said chip part carrier tube before being conveyed toward said stopper by the intermittent movement of said belt, each of said chip parts having been conveyed by said belt being stopped by said stopper before being released from said stopper to be freed from nipping of said stopper.
Nevertheless, with the aforesaid apparatus of a conventional structure, said stopper merely works to release a chip part after stopping said chip part, when the forefront chip part and the succeeding chip part are clinging each other owing to the environmental humidity or by the influence of treating liquid, etc. having been used in a production process of said chip parts, or when the forefront chip part and the succeeding chip part become entangled by raggedness of their surfaces, the succeeding chip part clings to the forefront chip part when said forefront chip part is being picked up by a pickup means such as a suction head or the position or direction of said succeeding chip part gets disorganized to interfere with chip parts pickup function thereafter, thus impeding mounting of a chip part to a circuit component such as a printed circuit board.
Also, with the aforesaid apparatus of a conventional structure, since the weight of a chip part is extremely light, a slightest force occurring from random contacts between said cover and said chip part being conveyed on said belt causes slips of said chip part on the surface of said belt, thus hindering smooth conveyance of chip parts.
Further, with the aforesaid apparatus of a conventional structure, since the end opening of said chip part carrier tube is being directed almost in parallel with the belt surface, a chip part carrier tube of a considerable length needs be used when doing so. Also, more space is required to install such a chip part carrier tube thus making the dimensions of the apparatus inevitably larger.
Moreover, with the aforesaid apparatus of a conventional structure, since the chip part carrier tube positioned inside the chip part intake tube does not project beyond said chip part intake tube when said chip part intake tube is being moved up and down, some of chip parts having been taken into said chip part intake tube may get caught over the top end of said chip part carrier tube, thus clogging said chip part carrier tube.
Furthermore, since the concentration of chip parts taken out inside said chip part intake tube increases when said chip part intake tube goes down from its upper end position by compression occurring among contained chip parts, when, in turn, said chip part intake tube start to go up from its lower stroke end, more resistance against its rise occurs and, in worst case, said chip part intake tube becomes incapable of rising from its lower stroke end, thus chip part intake function thereof being interrupted.